According to a survey conducted by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), more than 80 per cent of the workforce in garment factories in Bangladesh believes that they require additional training to effectively address the challenges posed by the fourth industrial revolution.
The survey conducted by the BIDS covered a total of 119 companies, comprising 72 knit units and 47 woven factories, located in both Dhaka and Chittagong divisions across four different areas.
The survey finding was presented by Rizwana Islam, a research associate at the BIDS, at the BIDS Research Almanac 2023, held at a hotel in the capital Dhaka recently.
During her presentation, Rizwana emphasised the current workforce strongly believes that additional training would help bridge the skills gap.
Among those who recognised the need for such training, 82 per cent were males and 84 percent females (in the woven sector) while the number stood at 84 per cent for male and 88 per cent for females in the knit sector.
Rizwana stated that the survey specifically focused on identifying the skills gap, mismatch, and shortage within the industry while also adding in order to facilitate product diversification and enable the garment industry to transition towards higher value chains, the Government should implement training programmes focused on computer programming, technical engineering, and design work.
